Five Things to Enjoy on the Big Island

Chris and I are restless travelers. For us, exploring is more relaxing than sitting poolside with a mai tai. We’d rather be on a road trip than trapped in a resort. And if there’s a crowd, we can usually be seen walking in the opposite direction – unless it means we’ve found a really good farmers market.

So this is why we choose the island of Hawaii, also known as the Big Island, when we crave a tropical sun break.

Kailua-Kona

What is the Big Island?

Before I explain why we love the Big Island, I should clear up any confusion. People often think that the term “the Big Island” refers to the island of Oahu, presumably because Oahu is home to the state’s biggest city, Honolulu, with its touristy Waikiki strip. But the term “the Big Island” is actually a nickname for a different island: The island of Hawaii.

Adding to the confusion is the fact that the island of Hawaii and the state of Hawaii share the same name.

The island of Hawaii really lives up to its “Big Island” nickname. Its land mass is larger than all the other Hawaiian islands combined. The terrain is diverse and includes arid lava fields, snow-capped mountains, tropical rain forests, high-country ranch lands, lush plantations, and Volcanoes National Park.

You may have heard that the Big Island isn’t for everyone, and that is true. Some folks cite its shortage of white sand beaches as the reason to visit Maui or Oahu instead. There are long drive times between sites (for example, the drive between the city of Kailua-Kona and Volcanoes National Park takes two to three hours).

And the Big Island’s acres and acres of lava fields can seem barren and unwelcoming.

Chris conquers a lava field

But we’ve learned to love the lava fields because hiking them can lead to some beautiful and secluded black sand beaches, snorkeling coves, or other natural treasures.

Since we just returned from another trip to the Big Island, I thought I would share the top five things that we look for when we visit.

1 Historic Sites

On the island of Hawaii, learning about native culture rarely includes a visit to a stuffy museum. Heritage sites are fun and fascinating. One of my favorites is a National Historic Park called Pu’uhonua o Hōnaunau – or the Place of Refuge. I won’t give away why it’s called that, but it’s a gorgeous and peaceful place to visit.

Tikis at Pu’uhonua o Hōnaunau

2 The Green Flash

On the west side of the island, the sun sets over the water. Sunsets are legendary here, so much so that in Kona it’s not uncommon for restaurant patrons to applaud after seeing a particularly spectacular one.

A sunset in Kona

Ever since our first visit to the Big Island, we’d heard about a phenomenon called the green flash. Apparently, when atmospheric conditions are just right, the sun gives off a quick green flash just before it disappears into the horizon.

But try as we might, we’d never seen the green flash for ourselves. Never, that is, until our most recent visit. So now I can say with confidence that the green flash is not a legend. It is real!

Looking for the green flash is only half the fun. Whether on a beach, a seawall, the deck of a condo, or a fun outdoor restaurant, sunsets are a wonder to take in.

A band setting up for a sunset concert at a Kona restaurant.

3 Coffee Farms

The Big Island is the land of the coffee bean. Over 650 coffee farms, large and small, occupy the hillsides above Kona. Many of them welcome the public, and we try to find a new one every time we visit the island.

A banana tree makes a fine house for a gecko at Greenwell Coffee Plantation

Yes we love coffee. But most farms, by virtue of the where they are situated, also have sweeping views down the hillsides to the ocean. They are lovely, relaxing places to visit – and to sample coffee.

To us, “the book,” as we call it now, is like having a local tell us, in hushed whispers, where we can find the island’s hidden treasures. And more than that – entertaining us with backstories, history, and amusing anecdotes.

Makalawena Beach

In pursuit of out-of-the-way gems, the book sometimes suggests hikes on (to put it mildly) uneven terrain, and it sometimes suggests activities, such as kayaking, that are dependent upon ocean conditions being safe enough. So we are careful and make sure not to bite off more than we can chew.

5 Farmers Markets

I always look forward to visiting the farmers markets. We like to be adventurous and buy fruits we haven’t tried before – even the ones that look prickly and menacing. Vendors are usually good about describing a fruit’s taste (sometimes samples are available) and advising us on the best way to enjoy it.

Farmers markets are also great places to get locally made art and gifts. There are several nice farmers markets, but my personal favorite is the one in Hilo. Wednesdays and Saturdays are the best days to visit.

And this time we discovered the Pure Kona Green Market, which takes place on Sundays in Captain Cook and features many local artists and live entertainment.

Til Next Time

Missile scares notwithstanding, we had a lot of fun on our recent visit to the Big Island. We’ve since left the land of sunshine and pineapples behind and returned to our home of rain and pinecones. And while there is a certain charm to the pinecones, we’re always looking forward to our next escape to the Big Island.

Posts on this website are for entertainment only.

What I read on the plane:

Prarie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser. I may have been headed to and from Hawaii, but I was completely immersed in the frozen prairies of the Dakotas in the 1800s. Using the writings of Laura Ingalls Wilder and others, Caroline Fraser fleshes out the harsh reality behind the softened stories told by Laura Ingalls Wilder in her Little House books.

I read about half of the book during our plane rides. Because of the hardships that the Ingalls family (and all farmers in the Dakotas at that time) had to endure, Prairie Fires was not always an easy read for me. But I marvel at the strength and endurance of these early settlers. Let’s just say I won’t be so quick to grumble the next time there is too much foam in my latte or my laptop is a little slow.

7 Replies to “Five Things to Enjoy on the Big Island”

The Big Island is our favorite vacation destination, and the Doughty book is an absolute must! We love to snorkel, and our favorite location is Two Step (I’m sorry I can’t remember how to spell the real name, but it’s right next to the Place of Refuge). We always see something fantastic there – of course pretty fish and turtles, but also dolphins (from a safe distance away so as not to disturb them), eels, a day octopus, and manta rays. In case you haven’t visited them, I highly recommend the Vanilla Farm (in the Kohala district I believe) and the observatory. For the Vanilla Farm, the best deal is to get the tour and the luncheon – everything is made with vanilla – very interesting and delicious! The observatory visitors center has a very nice ‘show’ where they point out various stars and constellations – the sky is phenomenal! We also love the farmer’s markets (Hilo is definitely the best -and there’s a fun Salvation Army a few blocks away that we like to explore). I have tried and liked several new fruits and vegetables. You have me dreaming of our next vacation 🙂

Patty, thanks for the great tips! They sound wonderful, and I’m saving them for the next time we go. If you don’t mind a hike on lava, next time you are near Two Step you might check out the Arch City hike in the Doughty book (if you haven’t already). The trail head has changed a little from the description in the book. It’s a few yards farther up the one-way street Doughty mentions, behind the guardrail where the street bends.

That looks wonderful! My family prefers to explore rather than rest poolside with a drink as well and we don’t enjoy being around crowds either. We tend to vacation in the off season so we have places more to ourselves and we love being out in nature. I’ll have to add this list to our dream travel board if we ever manage to get out to Hawaii!

what a great intro to the big island. being from the east coast, i’ve only gone to hawaii once so far, but it’s left a huge impression. on my next trip, i absolutely want to go to the big island. what would you say is the ideal amount of time there? realistically, i mean. we spent 6 days in maui and 4 days in kauai, and i could have stayed a lot longer, of course. but i do feel, in terms of activities, that we left no stone unturned.
thanks!

Thanks for visiting! It’s hard to say what is a good length of time for visiting the Big Island, but there is a lot to see there. For Chris and I, ten days is about the minimum. And the next time we visit, we plan to stay for three weeks! We’ve never stayed that long before.

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